


What I Don't Know

by Yoseobies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Detective AU, Half-Altean Lance, Half-Galran Keith, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, The other characters will show up as more chapters are released, allura and lance are half siblings, side Hunk/Shay, side shallura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoseobies/pseuds/Yoseobies
Summary: This is an AU where Keith is a rookie space detective and Lance becomes his assistant (or lackey). Lance is Allura’s younger Altean/Cuban half brother, who is searching for the person behind their father's murder. However, he isn't the only one investigating a murder. His former classmate Keith has his own case in mind which has brought him to Altea. Determined to solve his father's murder, Lance joins Keith in his detective agency in hopes of getting closer to the truth.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So this is my first attempt at writing a fic, but I hope you enjoy it!  
> I also want to put down here that I made Keith younger than Lance by a year. So while Lance is 23, Keith is 22.  
> I had a book where I wrote down all of the ages, but I misplaced it whoops. When I find it I'll try to update the ages in the notes. Sorry about that!

Never in his life did Lance think he would end up like this. The 23 year old was pretty much holed up in his bedroom with zero motivation to be anywhere else. Stressed. Sad. Silent. The three S’s and him just were not meant to be in the same sentence. Or… so he thought. But yet here he was, and at this moment no other words could fit his situation any better.

 

It was already noon, and he still hadn’t even made an attempt to get out of bed. The poor Prince felt like a mess. No. He WAS a mess. His disheveled dark hair and sleep deprived eyes were a far cry from his former self. Normally he would already be out and about:  probably shopping, on a date with his fiancé, or even pranking Coran. Really, he would be anywhere but in bed at this time. Somewhere off to his side he could hear his phone buzzing, but at this point why bother? It’s been buzzing all morning. ‘Whatever.’ He would be lying if he were to say these past two years have been normal though. Even he couldn’t ignore the fact that he hasn’t quite been himself, no matter how hard he tried to be. With each passing day, his colorful world continued to turn grayer and more dull. Heck, smiling was even becoming a huge chore these days. He stared lazily toward the balcony, wondering why none of the detective agencies he applied to would bring him in or even help him with his case. There’s a small grunt of annoyance as his phone buzzes once more. ‘Maybe because you have zero experience…,’ the poor boy thought to himself with a soft sigh. Even by saying that though, he knew very well what the real reason was. The truth was that no one in Altea (or even outside of Altea) believed in what he had to say, at least… not anymore.

 

Almost two years had gone by since his father, King Alfor, passed away. That day, all of Altea was told that the King had been sickly and had merely died from natural causes. ‘Tch… what a lie.’ Lance couldn't fully remember the story they put out… only that it was some garbage about how his father knew he was sick and didn't want his people to worry. If he was sick, maybe his dad wouldn’t have told the Kingdom. He was a King after all… and a brilliant one at that. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his people, right? The problem however was that even if he was sick enough that he knew he was going to die, he would have at _least_ told him or Allura about it… right? Even if he didn't tell both of them, he would have mentioned it to at least one of them. Heck… he would have even told Coran if that was the case. Coran was King Alfor’s right hand man, and even the one person he could trust to care for his children if something were to happen to him. Their father also wasn't the type to keep secrets from his kids, either. No matter how much he thought about it, something just wasn't right.

 

‘Damn that buzzing…’ He grit his teeth in frustration as he began to recall that fateful night. ‘Not again…’ No one believed him when he said he heard his father screaming, he doesn’t know how no one else heard. The entire memory of it replayed over and over in his mind. It was always the same. Although so much time had passed since then, the memory was still just as vivid as the day it happened. _His father crying out in pain. Lance running through the dark halls, completely frantic. The image of his father collapsing to the floor. Then the worst of it all, the look of pain and fear that his father gave him._ It haunts him. The buzzing continues, this time louder and more furious. His eyes begin to sting and his throat goes dry, as if his body is reliving that exact moment once again. “Father…” he croaked out, shoving his face in his pillow to muffle his own voice further. He dared not to let anyone else hear nor see him this way, because they would just tell him it’s a nightmare like they always did. What is it that he could have done differently? Earlier that same day he had told his guards that something didn't feel right. They told him he was just being silly and that there was nothing to worry about. He believed them. If he had tried harder to make the guards believe him, maybe his father would still be around. Yeah. He would be alive and well and ruling the throne to this day.  ‘Or is it my fault for being so wild all the time…?’ _Buzz._ ‘Why won’t they just leave me alone? If I haven’t answered two hours ago, I’m not answering now… just…’ His eyes fluttered shut once more as his breathing slowed in an attempt to keep calm. “Stop.” The word escaped his lips weakly. His guards probably thought he was pranking them that day or something… sounds like a thing the past him would do. Maybe he couldn’t blame them for not listening. Maybe… he really was the one to blame.

 

Rolling to lie on his back now, Lance does his best to rub away his tears, not even caring if he rubbed a little too hard for his skin. “Two more weeks and it will be two years since you died, dad…” he whispers to no one in particular as he shuts his eyes. He imagines his father standing before him, in the field of flowers that they would visit with Allura. They visited that field a lot before… sure would be nice to go back. “In two years neither you or I have been able to rest peacefully. I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” he pauses for a moment, continuing to imagine his father before him. _Buzz._ A bitter laugh escapes him, “Who knew that two years of an _entire_ kingdom doubting you could wear a guy out like this, huh?” The father he sees in his mind looks sorrowful, but remains silent. “Would it be easier if I just… gave up? Allura has been saying I should… but...” Lance cringed at the dull pain in his heart. _Buzz._ “Sorry dad… I guess I'm too weak for this, huh?” He practically choked out, ducking his head under his thick blanket to hide from the world. The field of flowers and his father disappear from his mind as he hides away.

 

The Altean-Cuban Prince had lost track of how many detective agencies he had applied to in Altea alone, or even how many times he had attempted to send in his father’s murder case. No matter what, the response was always the same. Each agency refused to take on the case because ‘there was no case’ and ‘the King died of natural causes, it was already confirmed.’ These same agencies refused to even hire him all because he had a history of goofing off. What was so bad about him enjoying his life before? Why should that reflect on his work ethic now? _Buzz._ Ah… he was getting mad now. How is it that in two years he still hadn’t even managed to move past square one? And worse… every time an agency rejected him, it was like the world was telling him to stop. Stop and go back to how you were before. ‘Sorry Altea... I can’t do that.’ How could he? His father was gone. No. His father was _taken_ from him. No matter what anyone else said, his father’s death wasn’t natural. Nothing about it was natural. Just then, Lance felt a tiny spark in his heart. Something inside of him was saying to keep going, he needed to find the truth. He wasn’t going to get the truth if he gave up now. He needed to _know_.

 

 _Buzz._ “Ugh… I’m sick of this!” the young man announced suddenly as he shoved himself out of bed. He stared down his reflection in the nearby mirror and slapped himself in the face. “I won’t give up. I can’t give up.” There was a newfound determination burning through him as he ran to his closet. Although he was still very tired, he knew he couldn’t let himself wallow away in pity all day. His father would hate to see him like that after all. Also, he didn’t know what it was… but his heart seemed to be tellin-- no… _screaming_ at him that today was going to be different. He didn’t know how or why it would be, but he had nothing to lose. Any change would be a good one. _Anything_.

  


As he contemplated what outfit he wanted, Lance finally decided to take the time to look at his phone. The device in question had been sitting properly on top of it’s charger on his nightstand. It buzzed again, revealing that his screen was fully taken up by notifications. He saunters over to pick it up and go through them. It wasn’t surprising that he had so many; he had been ignoring his phone all day afterall. ‘27 missed calls... 13 voicemails… and oh god… _so_ many messages…’ All by the same person. Who you ask? Why… none other than his _extremely_ worried fiancé. His eyes quickly snap to the most recent text, which sends him into an absolute frenzy. He nearly drops his phone as he begins to run around his room, picking up any and every article of clothing from his floor in a vain attempt to get dressed quickly. ‘Shit.’

 

 **From** **: <3 Bae <3** _01:25 pm_

Here.

 

‘It’s 1:30… _Fuck_ .’ Lance tries to pick up his pace, not caring that his entire outfit was mismatched. Mismatched, however, was putting it delicately. If it was possible, he was an even bigger mess than before. This boy had a long fuzzy striped sock on one foot and accompanied it with a neon blue ankle cut one on the other. To make matters worse, he didn’t even look at the crop top or shorts he just threw on. The crop top was a prank gift that his sister, Allura, had given him for graduating from the Garrison three years ago. The top bore his face right on the front of it. Joke gift or not he still loved every bit of it and didn’t give a flying quiznack to anyone who didn’t. Now... the shorts he had on were his favorite for working out. The bottom left part of the garment had a little Cuban flag neatly stitched onto it. On their own they were cute and comfortable. The problem however was that only god knew how long it had been since he had last washed them. He took the time to grab his dark green jacket from the floor as well. Of course, if he had time to worry about his outfit he would have done so. Now was not the time for any of it. He had to hurry and leave before-- _Knock knock._ ‘Shit. Too late.’

 

“Lance! Honey! I’m coming in!” called a deep, velvety voice from the hallway. Lance frantically scanned his room for another exit or even just a hiding spot. He was so desperate that he even contemplated jumping into that pile of dirty clothes he just fished his current ensemble from. That wasn’t going to help him. All he wanted was to leave the castle and find out what this feeling in his heart was… and the person at the door was the only one who could possibly stop him from doing just that. “ _Lance_! Why aren’t you answering me?” he froze in place as his bedroom door flew open. There, standing in the doorway was a very beautiful and tall man with flowing snow-like hair.

 

“Oh… L-lotor! Babe! W-what brings you here?” Lance managed to stutter out in an attempt to act as natural as he could. But nothing about this moment could feel more unnatural for him. The Galran-Altean Prince raised a curious brow at his fiancé.

 

“What do you mean ‘what brings you here’?” Lotor huffed almost indignantly. “You’ve ignored my calls and text messages all day. No. All _week_ . On top of all of that, we have not spent time together in a month.” There was a pause in the air as Lance’s outfit began to register in Lotor’s mind. “Um… just… what are you wearing?” the older Prince couldn’t help but chuckle. Lance would never let himself be seen mismatched like this. Maybe the shorts and top could have worked together… but those socks and jacket made it look as if he completely dressed himself in the dark. It was then that Lance turned to look at himself in the mirror, mentally hitting himself in the head. Regardless of his current emotional state… he was really going to go out looking like _that_?

 

Lotor coughed to get Lance’s attention and gave a kind smile. “Darling, now look. I understand that getting rejected from another agency can be difficult. It’s stressful, I know. You have been trying all this time and it’s so admi--”

 

“How did you know I got rejected? I never told you. Heck… I didn’t tell anyone anything.” Lance countered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked a lot like a defiant child in this way and his outfit honestly was not helping. Lotor mimicked his pose and tilted his head to the side.

 

“How? You always get like this. After the tenth rejection, it is pretty difficult not to pick up on that. I mean every time you get rejected it’s like you stop taking care of yourself and stay holed up in this room. Speaking of your room, it becomes a total mess. Look at this!” Lotor turns to point a perfectly manicured finger to the dirty clothes and crumpled papers littering the floor. “Anyway…” he brings his arms back down to his sides as he decides to switch gears. “Why are you dressed like that? This is not like you at all.”

 

“I just… needed to get out.” Lance mumbled, deciding it was probably for the best that he didn’t tell him the actual reason was to avoid this confrontation. It was also probably best that he not tell him about this feeling in his chest that might lead him a step closer to finding his father. Don’t get him wrong:  he cared about his fiancé a lot and he knew he was worried… even trusted him more than anyone else on Altea... but this sense of hope inside of him was almost turning urgent.

 

“Out?” Lotor’s pointed ears seemed to perk up. “Oh how perfect! We have not spent time together in so long! Our busy schedules are so hard to keep up with, you know?” he beamed brilliantly as he strolled over to take Lance’s hands in his own. “We should have a spa day. You look so stressed and tired. My poor baby. Oh! And your skin is in dire need of rejuvenation too. How long has it been since you have done a face mask? Now come, we need to get you properly dressed, and we can leave together. A nice day of relaxation is all you will need to--”

 

With a deep sigh, Lance removed his hands from Lotor’s and took a step back. “I’m not up to that right now, okay? I wasn’t leaving to have a spa day. What I really need to do is go for some fresh air.”

 

“But Lance, you need to relax. We can go to the spa and get fresh air in that mall you like so much after!”

 

“No. I don’t want to! Can’t we just do this another day?” Lance couldn’t help but flare up. He instantly regretted this when Lotor’s eyes widened in shock. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get like that… But don’t you think it’s a little selfish of me to be relaxing at a spa right now? You know how I feel. It’s been hard with dad gone… You know that.”

 

Lotor’s eyes softened as he gazed at the beautiful tanned man before him. “I’m worried about you,” he whispered tenderly. “I’m sure your father is worried too.” He took a step closer and cupped Lance’s face in between his hands. “King Alfor would not want you to be like this. It’s been two years-”

 

“ _Almost_ two years.” Lance corrected.

 

There was a sigh as Lotor continued, “ _Almost_ two years.” He released his hands from Lance’s face and placed them on his own hips instead. In this position he almost looked like a parent ready to lecture his child. “The point is that since then you have been nearly driving yourself over the edge. Every day it gets worse and worse. Look at yourself. Your skin is never this dull, and your hair? It is an absolute nest! And when was the last time you slept? And I mean actually slept. You know how important beauty rest is, and yet you have not even done that for yourself!”

 

“Are you done?”

 

“Oh, Honey, I am just getting started. I guess... I will stop there for now though.” Lotor shrugged. “But the point is… You have been pushing yourself too hard. It is as though you are blaming yourself for something that came naturally. King Alfor’s death came as a shock to everyone. You say you want to find out the truth, but the truth is already there.” Lance bit down lightly on his bottom lip, he didn’t want to get into an argument about this now. If he did, he would only lose again like he did every other time. Lotor picked up on this and attempted to switch gears once more as he flashed another smile Lance’s way. “This is why we need a spa day.”

 

“Really? Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

 

“Nope. Whether you like it or not, it is in your best interest to do it today. You need it. Besides… I have an important meeting with father tomorrow. I will be gone all day.”

 

Lance could feel that little spark of hope in his heart begin to dim. He couldn’t keep saying no to Lotor, but at the same time he also couldn’t ignore this feeling he had. Lotor was stubborn, and the look in his eyes was just that. If Lance didn’t agree now, then they really were not going to get anywhere. “Fine…” he muttered. He knew Lotor was doing this because he cared, but this really was not going to boost his mood at all.

 

“Good. Now that that is settled…” Lotor’s eyes meticulously scanned over what Lance was wearing. “As darling as that outfit is, we should find something more appropriate for you to wear.” he chirped. He turned on his heel and began to make his way over to Lance’s large walk-in closet.

 

After Lotor had finally managed to get Lance to look ‘presentable’, the two Princes set off for their spa date in a vehicle that could only be described as the Altean equivalent of a Rolls Royce Limousine. Lance made sure to leave a space between them in the car, trying to convey that he was not 100% happy with Lotor at that very moment. Lotor however brushed this off, still convinced in his own mind that Lance would feel better if he just went along with it all. Honestly, he thought it was a miracle that his lover even got into the car. After a few moments of being in the car, he began tire of the near deafening silence between them. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Darling, if we have time after our spa day, we should consider going to that mall you love so much. You did say that you needed to get some fresh air, and it is an open air mall. I think it would be a good idea.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds… great… babe.” Lance half-heartedly mumbled, seeming quite distracted. It wasn’t just Lance’s tone that was like this though. Unfortunately for Lotor, everything about Lance’s body language practically screamed that he did not care for their conversation at hand. Normally, Lance would be a huge participant in these conversations and even if he didn’t care for the topic… he would at least try. He would usually be excited and make suggestions about where else they could go or even introduce some fun date ideas that they could try out the next time they were together. Plus… whenever they talked it seemed as though Lance’s eyes would just light up. Lotor honestly missed that little twinkle his fiancé would get in his clear blue eyes whenever he talked about his favorite skincare brands. But now, Lance wouldn’t even move from his spot next to the window. Looking at him now, it was like he found the people they passed outside to be far more interesting.

 

The pain Lotor felt from being ignored was torture, but he decided to keep trying to move the conversation along anyway. Maybe if he touched on something he knew Lance enjoyed, then the other would be more inclined to respond to him. “Well if we do end up going to the mall,” he started up again. “We should really consider updating our skincare routines. I heard that that Earth brand you like so much is being sold at that mall now. The one called Lancer. Oh! And did you hear that they even have a new skincare set that you can only get in Altea? I heard that they somehow managed to bottle up Altea’s rain. Isn’t it impressive how they could make such a wonderful skin product from such hard rocks? Who knew something like that could even soften your skin!” With that, Lotor continued to go on and on, moving from topic to topic in a vain effort to get Lance involved.

 

However, the young half Cuban Prince was just not up to any form of conversation. He did at least give small responses such as ‘mhm’, ‘uh-huh’, and ‘sounds nice’ in small attempts to satisfy him. Lotor wasn’t stupid though. He probably knew Lance was just brushing him off. Lance propped his elbow up on the armrest and leaned his upper body closer to the window. His newfound hope was quickly diminishing, and he did not know what he could do to force it back. ‘What is it even trying to tell me…?’ The young Prince couldn’t help the small feeling of desperation beating through him. ‘What was the point in being out of the castle? If I can’t find whatever it is I’m supposed to be looking for… then what’s the point??’ he thought to himself in frustration. His thoughts from earlier began to cloud his mind once more.

  
“What is going on? Why are we not moving?” Lotor questioned, having moved so he could lean closer to the driver. The sound of Lotor’s voice snapped Lance out of his stupor, which caused him to look up for the first time the entire car ride. He noticed the frustrated look on Lotor’s face and turned to look out the window. ‘Wow… when did that happen?’ he thought as he stared at all the cars around them. While he was lost in his train of thought, he hadn’t even noticed that their car had stopped. In fact, none of the cars around them were moving. The entire street was completely congested.

 

“I’m sorry sir,” the driver started rather nervously. “But it appears that something is obstructing traffic. I can not tell what it is from here though.”

 

“Well, is there anyway to get around it? I really want to get to the spa soon.” Lotor tried to say nicely, but his tone of voice just came off as demanding. His long fingers drummed impatiently on the headrest of the driver’s seat. “There must be something you can do, right? Maybe if you honk the horn everyone will get out of the way? Or if--”

 

“Lotor, we’re stuck.” Lance suddenly interrupted to keep Lotor from going off at their driver. “If there was something he could do right now, he would have done it already. Do you not see that there are other cars around us? He’s just doing his job and trying to keep us safe.”

 

“But--” Lotor started, only to get cut off once again.

 

“But what? It’s not his fault that we’re stuck in traffic. This is the route we always have him come through, because it’s fast. Once in awhile things _do_ happen and traffic slows down. So just sit down and wait. We’ll get out of here sooner or later. Besides, I thought you would just LOVE to be stuck in a confined space with me.” Lance stated, his tone implying that he was not going to listen to this any further.

 

“Fine…” Lotor whispered, though he wasn’t happy at all by this. He sat back in his seat and quieted down for the time being. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he seemed to be pouting, but that was to be expected of the half Galran Prince. This Prince was used to getting exactly what he wanted when he wanted. It was expected that he would act like this when he didn’t get just that. It was weirdly cute, but no one wanted to see or hear this grown Galran-Altean acting like a child.

 

‘He’ll get over it later…’ Lance thought to himself as he turned to stare out the window once more. They stayed in silence for about half an hour, and Lance didn’t even need to look at Lotor to know he was getting more impatient with each passing tick. The frustrated huffs and rapid foot tapping from his fiancé served as proof of that. It was then that he decided to open the window. Maybe the fresh Altean air would make him feel better. Just as he did so, Lance spotted something familiar out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Looks like we’re moving again.” the driver called back to the two passengers.

 

“Oh, finally!” Lotor groaned in relief, happy that they would not have to be sitting for much longer. “Isn’t that great news, Lance?” he smiled as he turned to face his lover. His smile dropped when he witnessed Lance literally jump out head first from the car window and barrel roll into the opposite oncoming traffic. “Wh-what are you doing? Where are you going?! You’re going to hurt yourself! Come back!” he called after him, practically standing from his own seat to the other door.

 

“Sorry! Rain check on the spa! Something came up!” Lance shouted back at the top of his lungs as he literally hopped over the other cars to get out of the street. It was astounding how easy he made this look. Lotor was about ready to jump out of the car after him, but it was already too late. The driver had already started moving the car along with traffic.

 

“What are you doing? We need to pull over! Lance just jumped out!” Lotor shouted at the driver, who seemed to be ignoring him at this point. In the end, he seated himself down once more feeling extremely discouraged with what had just happened.

 

After they made it quite a bit away, the driver glanced at Lotor through the rearview mirror. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s done that.” He watched as Lotor looked at him with an expression of utter shock.

 

“Well if you know this, why were the windows not locked? I should have you fired!” Lotor slammed his hands on the seats next to him.

 

“I’m sorry sir, I believe that that is up to the Prince.”

 

“I AM the Prince.”

 

“The Prince of _Altea_ , sir.” The driver clarified. He hid a smile, though he half wished he would have been able to escape with the kinder Prince if only to get away from this bullheaded one.

Meanwhile, Lance had just managed to (literally) skip over traffic. ‘I. Know. That. Mullet. Anywhere.’ His deep navy eyes scanned the crowd thoroughly. “There was no way I mistaken… It had to be…” he mumbled to himself. “No one in the right mind would have a mullet in Altea.” He began to make his way through the crowd, politely apologizing if he ran or bumped into anyone on the way. Maybe he was going crazy, but he was sure he saw it. Somewhere in his heart, he was sure of it. After spending enough time looking through the crowd, he finally found it. The mullet he had been looking for.

 

“KEITH!”

 

Keith felt a chill run up his spine as he heard someone shouting his name. He turned this way and that in an attempt to find the source of the unknown voice. “Wha--? Who?” Honestly though, he just got to Altea not even a month ago. Who on Altea would even know him? Heck, who would even know him by name enough to try and find him in this ridiculous crowd. Or even shout it so... _desperately_.

 

“KEITH! SO IT _IS_ YOU!” Lance practically screamed in Keith’s face as he suddenly emerged from the crowd to pop up right in front of him. How he managed to do that was a mystery even to him.

 

All of the flyers that Keith had been holding nearly came flying out of his hands because of the strange Altean now standing before him. “Um… who… are you? And how do you know my name?”

 

“Excuse me? It’s me. _Lance_ . You know… your _rival_ from the Garrison?” There was a momentary pause as the prince awaited some sort of response from the man before him. “Oh, come on… if you’re not even going to acknowledge me as your rival, then at least recognize me as your teammate.” Lance batted his eyelashes a bit before glaring at the pilot.

 

Keith raised a brow, needing a moment to rack through his brain. This guy, whoever he was, was glaring at him. Not to mention his poor memory accidentally offended said weirdo in front of him. Weird or not, this guy’s face was somewhat ringing a bell. “The Garrison… huh…” He thought a little harder, bringing up a hand to cup his chin and tilt his head. _Click._ “Ohhh… right. You’re that Altean prince. The one that was a cargo pilot on my team. The Cargo Prince.”

 

Lance could feel his face turn red, it was like steam was actually ready to come out of his ears. “The _WHAT_ Prince?!” Oh if only looks could kill, Keith would literally be vaporized on the spot. “Listen here pal, you only beat me by _ONE_ point for fighter class. You could have very easily become a cargo pilot too! You’re not even that great! OH! And YOUR team? It was OUR team. Just how conceited are you?!”

 

“You sure it was only one point?” Keith smirked, not even wanting bother responding to the rest of what the blue eyed man in front of him was spouting.

 

“Um… in a word… YES?” Lance groaned, half wondering why he even bothered to speak to this guy. “God, you know… if it wasn’t for this damn feeling in my heart telling me to come after you… I really wouldn’t have.”

 

“Uh… feeling in your heart? What?” Keith’s cheeks tinged with a hint of red as his nose wrinkled in confusion. “Whatever, I don’t have time for this… um… what was your name again?”

 

“IT’S LANCE.” The half Altean shouted as he threw his hands up in frustration. In the process of doing so, he somehow managed to knock all of the flyers out of Keith’s arms. “Oh whoops…”

 

“Ugh…” Keith sighed irritably as he crouched down to gather them all back up again. “I forgot how clumsy you were… maybe that’s where your one point went.”

 

“Oh so you acknowledge it was only one point?” Lance grinned as he bent down to help pick up the rest of the flyers. He neatly placed them into a small stack before handing them back over to Keith. “Sorry about… making you drop them.” he mumbled, thinking it best that he at least show that he still had _some_ manners despite his previous outburst.

 

“I acknowledge that… it _may_ have been one point.” Keith shrugged. He glanced down at the flyers in Lance’s hands. “You know what. If you really want to say sorry, then here.” The dark haired pilot shoved the rest of the flyers he held into Lance’s hands. “I just finished putting these up on this part of town.”

 

“Hey, wait… why do I have to carry all of these?!” Lance questioned with wide eyes.

 

“Well Cargo Prince... you were the one to knock them out of my hands in the first place. Think of it as a _real_ apology.” Keith responded with his hands on his hips. “Now come with me.” With that, the younger man began to walk off, disappearing through the crowd once more.

 

“Don’t call me Carg-- H-hey, wait for me!” the prince called, running after him. “Oops, sorry! Sorry!” he quickly apologized to all of the pedestrians he kept accidentally bumping into or tripping over. “Keith! Where are we going?” he asked, stumbling to try and keep up behind the shorter man. ‘Damn… was he always this fast? Wait… why am I following this jerk???’ Lance cursed quietly to himself as he finally found his pace right behind Keith. “Hello? Are you going to answer me?”

 

“Oh shut up. You won’t have to carry them for long. We’re almost there.” Keith responded, taking a quick turn into a nearby alleyway.

 

“Where is there?” Lance groaned, wondering why this damn former teammate of his was like this. “For god’s sake Keith! Don’t I deserve some sort of explanation? Hey! Don’t just ignore me! Keeeeiiiiiiith! And here I thought that we could catch up! Man was I wrong! Keeeeeeeiiiiiiith!”

 

“God you’re whiny…” Keith sighed, stopping in front of a rather old looking Altean building. He turned around, looking visibly irritated by the older man. “Such a baby. You can stop crying now. We’re here.”

 

Lance grumbled something about not being a baby as he looked up at the building. It was older compared to most of the buildings in Altea. Plus it was a lot smaller than the buildings he was used to seeing. In fact it was probably only three stories high. By Earth standards, it looked very nice and futuristic. Altean standards were another story… it just looked like an outdated building that had been spruced up a little and was in need of some new tech. “What is this place?”

 

“Hm? It’s just the place for me to start up my agency.” Keith stated, holding his hand out to Lance. “I can take those back. Actually… why don’t you take some and hang them up on your way home?” he ordered more than asked.

 

‘Agency?’ Lance looked confused. “What kind of agency would you be setting up here in Altea that you couldn’t have set up back on Earth?”

 

“A detective one.” Keith stated simply as he took back some of the flyers from Lance’s hands. “That’s why I need these flyers. It’s not open for business yet, but it will be soon.”

 

Lance stood still for a moment, needing a tick to register what he had just heard. “Did… you just say… detective agency?”

 

“Yeah… why?”

 

“I’m in!” Lance hollered loudly, dropping the flyers as he grabbed Keith by the shoulders.

 

“What? No.” Keith replied, trying to get Lance’s hands off of him.

 

“You can’t run a detective agency on your own! And think about it! I’m a prince! I can help you with renting this place out or something! I can help advertise! I’ll be like your Watson! It’ll be fun! Heck… if we get Pidge and Hunk to join, it’ll be like the good ol’days back at the Garrison!”

 

“First of all, I totally can run an agency on my own. I don’t need a Watson. Second of all, I’m perfectly capable of advertising without your help. And last of all, I already paid this place off.” Keith argued, not understanding why Lance was suddenly so happy about any of this.

 

“Please Keith! Old buddy, old pal! I’m begging you. Forget everything I said earlier! Heck, you probably beat me by 10… no! 100 points for fighter class. Let me join!”

 

Keith groaned again, beginning to wonder why he had made this guy follow him in the first place. He remembered now… the Cargo Prince was not one to give up so easily. In the back of his mind though, Keith couldn’t help but wonder why Lance was this adamant about joining. Maybe… it wouldn’t hurt. “Fine. Just don’t get in my way. And help me pick up all of these flyers before they get blown away.” He crouched down, trying to gather up the flyers all over again.

 

“YES!” Lance fist pumped the air before bouncing around to grab the flyers he had dropped a little while ago. “Thanks Keith.” he grinned, happy that his heart had finally led him to the right place. ‘Maybe now I can finally get closer to the truth…’ he thought, practically walking on air. “Oh, by the way, I’m serious about Hunk and Pidge joining. They would love this too.” he straightened and followed Keith into the building.

 

“Don’t start calling shots like you’re the boss here, Cargo Prince.” Keith grumbled as they entered the building. The first floor was pretty neatly organized and had a couple of desks and computers everywhere… plus a phone off to the side for transmissions. “You can leave the flyers on that desk over there. We’re going to hang up more of them tomorrow.”

  
Lance followed where Keith was pointing and headed over to set the stack down. It was then that he decided to actually read what the flyers said. On each flyer, in big letters, was a very familiar word. “Voltron, huh?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @cecilebakura and @grimhild for being my beta readers and helping me try and keep my ideas organized!  
> Another note: the crop top with Lance's face on it was inspired by @shitpilot's adorable shirt designs on twitter.


End file.
